There are four main sects with in Hinduism:Shaivism, in which Lord Shiva is worshiped as the main god; Vaishnavism, in which Vishnu is the main god; Shaktism inwhich the female aspect of gods is primarily worshiped and Smartism, in which six main gods are worshipped Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesha, Murugan and Surya.

April 8, 2015

The 10 most deadly weapons known to ancient Hindus

The 10 most deadly weapons known to ancient Hindus

Military Legacy

The
Hindu religion is the third largest religion in the world and perhaps
the oldest. Originating from the subcontinent of India, Hindu religion
boasts of countless legends and myths and an equal number of Gods and
Goddesses. It, however, is of particular interest, for the numerous
weapons that have been mentioned in the various records.

While many think these weapons may have really existed and are proof
of the presence of nuclear warfare and aliens, all we know is they make
for a very interesting read. Without further ado, here are the 10 most
dangerous weapons in Hindu Mythology.

Ten mind boggling ancient weapons

10.
Agni Astra (Fire weapon) : The name pretty much says it all. Wielded by
numerous warriors, this divine weapon was basically the ancient
equivalent of a Flamethrower. Various depictions show the weapon to be
in the form of an arrow that when launched emits fire from its pointy
end.

While the description may be a recent product of a fertile mind, it is not difficult to see why this one makes our list.

9. Varuna Astra (Water weapon) : So what was used to counter the fire emitting arrow? Well the water emitting one of course!!

Named the Varuna Astra after the Hindu God of Water, this too was one of the most used weapons in ancient times.

However, this one was an especially dangerous weapon, since
mishandling by the wielder could lead to his/her own demise and a
catastrophic deluge.

8. Nagapash (Snake weapon) : As the name suggests, this weapon was
used to literally entwine the enemy in a thousand venomous snakes. It
was famously used against the mythical hero Rama and his brother Laxmana
by Ravana’s brother, Indrajit- named so after his victory over the Head
of Devas, Indra.

In fact very few warriors could lay claim to possessing this weapon
and more often than not, those warriors were not fighting for the good
side!!

7. Indra’s Vajra : Indra was the head of all Devas, basically the
lesser gods and wielded the ‘Vajra’ or the divine Lightning Bolt, which
he used occasionally to smite his enemies. The Vajra could not only cut
through mortal defences but was equally capable of destroying multiple
divine forces. Indra was basically the Hindu equivalent of Zeus, in more
than one ways since he was also known for his womanizing ways.

Although he was defeated on numerous occasions, Indra’s Vajra remains one of the most fearsome weapons on our list.

6. Shiva’s Bow: So basically Shiva had a lot a weapons which he used
for destroying things, since his role in the holy trinity was that of a
destroyer. The bow measured a whopping 8.5ft in length and was passed
on by Shiva to a few deserving mortal men, who more often than not were
reincarnations of celestial beings.

This weapon, however, was eventually broken, by another god incarnate
known as Rama, who had been given the task of stringing the bow, in
order to win the hand of his lady love Sita.

5. Pashupatastra: We have now entered nuclear territory!

Pashupatiastra was one of the most deadly weapons known to ancient
Hindus. Once again a weapon from the mighty arsenal of Shiva, this
weapon was capable of ending all life on Earth, if the wielder chose to
do so. One of the famous prerequisites for using this weapon was that it
could not be used against lesser warriors and would not destroy the
world, only if it was used against divine beings.

Only a few choice individuals every laid claim to this weapon, since
it took years of penance to get your hands on this beauty, a
prerequisite to most of the weapons that follow.

4. Shiva Trishul : Trishul literally means the Trident. Add to that
the name Shiva, referring to the god of destruction and you have one of
the scariest weapons known to ancient Hindus. This weapon is said to
contain the three most powerful qualities of Shiva, namely Will,
Knowledge and Action.

So what does this Trident actually do? Well, the all powerful weapon
is said to have the power destroy all evil and ignorance in this world.
No mean feat, eh?

Over the course of history, Shiva is believed to have used this
weapon to kill numerous demons who could not be destroyed by lesser
beings and warriors.

3. Sudarshan Chakra: The most famous weapon of the god Vishnu, one of
the holy trinities of Hinduism. This serrated disc, having 108 edges,
was only ever held by the god himself, or his incarnations on earth and
was only used against those who committed 100 acts of cruelty, each
worthy of death.

Legend has it that this weapon, along with Shiva’s trident was made out ‘Sun Dust’ by the divine craftsman Viswakarma.

2. Brahmastra: The Bramhastra, literally meaning the weapon of
Brahma, who is the creator of this entire world in Hindu mythology.
There was no defence against this weapon and once discharged, it could
not be called back.

This weapon, in fact, could only be used once in a lifetime and was
said to make land barren and prevent rainfall for upto 12 years. It was
in fact the after effects of this very weapon described in ancient
scriptures, that prompted many historians to suggest that perhaps
nuclear warfare had existed long before we had known it to be.

This weapon was used multiple times in wars, but its effects were either contained by gods or completely mitigated.

1.Brahmashira: The most powerful weapon on the list. Also created
by Brahma, this weapon was said to be four times as powerful as the
Brahmastra, thereby literally dwarfing all the other weapons mentioned
here. In fact using Brahmashira would’ve brought an end to the existence
of everything and would’ve damaged the entire fabric of life beyond
repair.

Only two living beings had this weapon in their arsenal, one
being the mighty warrior Arjun, who fought for the Pandavas in
Mahabharata and the other being Ashwatthama , the son of the warrior
teacher Drona.

Interestingly and perhaps luckily so, this weapon was never really used in war.